Frogger 3D
Score: 80% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Konami Developer: Alpha Unit Co. Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Arcade/ Puzzle
Graphics & Sound: Frogger 3D takes the classic Konami arcade game and manages to both stick to the core mechanic of the series, but still make it different enough to stand out in a long line of games. Fist off, the "3D" portion of Frogger 3D refers to more than just the system it is on, or the fact that you can use the 3DS' 3D capabilities with the game. It also takes the game away from the classic top-down perspective and goes in pretty much every other direction it can. There are levels that will return you to the classic bird's-eye-view perspective, but you will also be faced with frog's-eye-view challenges that really adds a new spin on the game's standard presentation. All of the cars, critters and frogs (Frogger has friends this time around) are fairly well detailed 3D models and only really show any kind of jaggedness when it seems appropriate for the game; in other words, when Frogger 3D hearks back to its more lower resolution roots. Of course, the system's 3D functionality comes into play here as well. Not only does the game look good with the added depth, but there were times when it really helped the gameplay, especially when dealing with the levels where items were coming at the screen. That being said, Frogger 3D isn't beyond the occasional cheap 3D gag like having your amphibious hero come flying at the screen when he gets hit. While the game's sound isn't anything that will win any awards, it gets the job done. The music is fun and has elements of the original theme song, while the various noises coming from the streets and rivers Frogger is trying to cross seem fitting to their environment. Again, it works and meets the requirement, but Frogger 3D doesn't need the sound turned on to make or break the overall experience.
Gameplay: Frogger 3D's main gamplay mode is the Single Player adventure where you will take the hopping hero across various worlds including the classic street-crossing wold, known here as Home Town, a bustling casino, the far East and even New York City. Along the way, you will not only have to tackle the standard Frogger-styled levels that have you hopping and weaving your way across busy cross-traffic, but also a few other scenarios as well. For instance, the last stage of the first world puts the camera at ground level and Frogger is restricted to moving back and forth along a cross-walk. Cars will turn a corner and come barrelling down on you, even swerving in an attempt to make you splat. Amongst these cars is a large tanker vehicle that really seems to have it out for Frogger. Thankfully, whenever he shows up, so does a set of spikes you can push along the crosswalk. Your goal is to take out that big truck by getting it to roll over the spikes enough times to puncture it's many wheels. In another oddball level, you will find yourself on top of a fast-moving vehicle. Here, you must simply avoid the overhead street signs and any other obstacles by hopping left and right across the screen. That isn't to say though, that even the classic-feeling levels are unchanged. The game features a few new twists that really help to bring the classic gameplay into the modern age. One slight change is the use of crates along the sidewalks and in the streets. If you can get to these boxes and climb up them, then you are able to jump just a little further, and there are plenty of times when this is simply the only way to cross the busy streets. Frogger also gains a few friends this time around. There are a variety of these guys, and each one serves a unique purpose. One, metal-looking frog will cause the traffic to crash violently instead of squishing your character, while another one provides an area of light for the dark and nighttime levels, while a third, really large frog, will hop around and do damage to the enemies on the level. Another mode includes Forever Crossing. Here, you get to play through the classic, original Frogger level in an endlessly repeating pattern of streets and rivers. This retro mode will be a delight for anyone looking to go back to the classic look and feel for the game. Frogger 3D also keeps track of your best playthrough and shows it as a ghost to run alongside you and show you your best path. Oddly enough, I found myself racing the ghost character and often getting myself killed because I would try and get further and faster when the only real scoring in this mode is how many rows you make it to in the game ... speed isn't really a factor here. Frogger 3D also features a four-player Versus Mode, but since it is multicard and local wireless only, the chances of having one friend close by with the game, much less three, really makes this feature more of an afterthought than anything else.
Difficulty: Frogger 3D starts off with a nice little challenge to it. Each stage must be completed three times with slightly different goals across the trio of plays, and you have only three lives to spend across those goals. While this means you might stumble slightly in early levels and have to redo the stage, that is rare, especially when compared to how the difficulty ramps up in the Third World and on. From that point forward, the difficulty increase is so drastic, I was struggling through each world's 10 stages and often repeating each one. This is also when the game started getting tedious. Since you have to go through each stage three times, the same map will get really boring really fast, and it only gets more annoying when you almost reach the goal in your third run, only to die yet again and have to do all three yet another time. On the other hand, Frogger hails from classic arcade gaming where the purpose of the game was to make you die and keep pumping quarters into the machine. While I disapprove of the drastic difficulty increase, I can appreciate the fact that the game is hard.
Game Mechanics: Frogger 3D keeps to the basics. You use the D-pad to move Frogger around the board and keep him out of danger. Even when the game switches out the perspective some and limits your actual movement, the only buttons you have to worry about are the ones under your left thumb. It's about as simple as you can get, but Frogger 3D takes a lot of both patience and good timing to get through. Frogger 3D does a solid job of keeping to the original game's concept. The basic idea of moving around the screen in order to avoid obstacles is there from beginning to end. While this game builds upon that concept with bigger and flashier levels, nothing about it's core has really changed. It's because of that, that I think Frogger 3D will appeal greatly to gamers who played the original arcade title. I do think the toughness of the game will cause some newer gamers to get fed up with it quickly, but if you consider yourself an old-school "hard core" gamer, then you will find a solid challenge here.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
Related Links: Frogger 3D Official Home Page Game Vortex’s Frogger Coverage Buy Frogger 3D on Amazon
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